


A Place for Seeds to Grow

by Rachel Wilder (rwilder)



Category: Friday Night Lights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-10 03:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3274796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rwilder/pseuds/Rachel%20Wilder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post season 2.  Lyla finds herself in the middle of Jason's life once again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Place for Seeds to Grow

**Author's Note:**

> My on-going thanks to Shelbecat for her support, inspiration and fine beta-reading. This story was a suggestion from my friend N. who always is quick with a good fic idea. The title comes from a Carrie Newcomer song, "Leaves Don't Drop". Check out her website and buy her album—it's amazing. <http://www.carrienewcomer.com/>

This story is not totally a prequel, but is related to [For the Love of the Game](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3274772).

**A Place for Seeds to Grow**

Lyla Garrity looked over at the message light beeping on her phone. She pulled off her headphones and flipped the phone open. One missed call. Jason Street. She punched in her voicemail number and then her password.

"Hey, Lyla—it's Jason. I'd…I'd appreciate it if you'd give me a call…uh, catch you later. Bye."

He sounded funny, almost unsure of himself. Jason rarely sounded unsure of himself. It just wasn't his nature.

"Hey there, Lyla—you got a minute?"

Lyla looked up to see Kevin, the youth minister, standing in the door of the studio.

"Sure, what do you need?" she asked, tucking her phone away in her purse.

"There's a young woman out in the sanctuary. She's been there about forty-five minutes. I stopped and asked if I could help her, but she said no. But she's been crying and she hasn't left. She looks about your age, so I thought maybe you could stop by and see if she needs anything."

"Sure," Lyla said as she stood up and slipped her purse over her shoulder. She'd call Jason in a little bit.

Lyla followed Kevin out of the radio station and into the back of the church.

"Down on the right," Kevin pointed. "Red hair."

Lyla nodded and headed down toward the girl. She stopped next to the chair where the girl sat. "Hi," she said quietly. "I'm Lyla, can I help you in any way?"

The girl looked up at Lyla. Kevin was right—she had been crying. But the girl shook her head.

"I'm just going to sit down for a few minutes," Lyla said as she took a seat in the row of chairs in front of the girl. "Do you want to pray with me?"

"Uh…yeah…" the girl said. "Uh, I'm Erin."

"Nice to meet you, Erin," Lyla said as she sat down. "Do you have any special prayer concerns?"

Lyla looked over at the girl. She was clearly upset about something. Lyla remembered what that felt like—feeling totally lost in the world.

"I, uh…" Erin began.

"Sometimes it helps to share," Lyla said as she put her hand on the girl's arm.

Erin looked up at Lyla and shook her head. "You won't think very much of me."

"Try me," Lyla said. It was hard for her not to explain why she might be able to empathize, but the counselors had told them to listen and not insert themselves into the situation.

"I'm pregnant," the girl began. "And I'm not sure what to do about it. I'm nineteen. And I didn't really know the guy—it was a one time thing and I don't know what to do."

"That's a really big thing to handle all alone," Lyla said.

Erin nodded. "And the father—he wants this baby and I just feel like I should be doing what's right for me, but there's all this pressure to do what's right for him too."

"But he's supportive?" Lyla asked.

"Yeah," Erin responded, nodding. "But…it's more complicated than that. Even if he wants to help, I don't know how much he'll be able to do it. He's 19, too, like me, but he's not even in college. He just got a job selling cars."

Lyla began to feel a wave of dread flushing over her.

Erin paused and looked at her. "And I know that in a perfect world this wouldn't matter, but he's in a wheelchair."

/-/  
"You got a girl pregnant?" Lyla yelled at Jason as she got out of her car and started crossing the car lot at Garrity Motors. "Pregnant? My god, Jason…what were you thinking?"

She stared him down as Jason looked over his shoulder toward the dealership where her dad probably stood watching them. How dare he be embarrassed? Didn't he know that it killed her to come here?

She walked toward him, Jason pushing himself to cut the distance as quickly as he was able.

"How do you even know about this?" Jason asked in a clipped tone. "I mean, I haven't even told my parents or Tim…are you talking to Herc, now? Did he call you?"

"I met her, Jason. She came to my church and I met her," Lyla replied, quietly. How had this happened?

"She came to one of your support groups?" Jason asked. "Geez, aren't you supposed to keep that kind of stuff private?"

Lyla stood in front of him and shook her head. "I just never thought that you would change so much, Jason Street. Some days I don't even feel like I know you anymore."

"I was going to tell you—that's why I called," Jason explained. "I need your help, Lyla."

"To convince this girl to have your love child?" Lyla spat back.

"Why are you so angry at me?" Jason said, his voice rising.

"I don't know," Lyla said, forcing her voice to keep quiet when she really felt like screaming. She turned sideways, staring off at the traffic zooming by on the road. Her hand wound up in her hair and she tugged, feeling the sting against her scalp. This was not happening. She was not standing here telling Jason what to do with his life, not now, not after she'd finally, really and truly, gotten over him.

She turned back to him and shrugged. "I don't know," she repeated. And she didn't. It almost felt like she was disappointed more than angry.

And jealous. Everything was so messed up.

"What if she gets rid of the baby?" Jason asked, his voice quiet. "Did she say if she was going to keep it? Or does she want to…"

Lyla looked down at Jason. He couldn't even say the words. She shook her head. "She didn't say. You should talk to her, Jason. She seems pretty confused about all of it."

"But she was at your church?" Jason asked. "Did you tell her…"

"About us?" Lyla interrupted. "No. I mean, I know I should have, but honestly, after she said the guy was in a wheelchair, I didn't hear anything else she said. How did this happen, Jason? How long have you even known her?"

Jason looked down at his hands, then back up at Lyla again. "It was just one time, Lyla—that night before I moved out. I mean, it was kind of the reason I moved out."

"But, you were never like this before—you'd never just sleep with a girl."

Jason shrugged. "Didn't have to—I had you."

"You still have me, Jason," Lyla said as she stepped forward and touched him on the shoulder.

"Not really, Lyla," Jason replied. "I mean, you're a good friend and all, but I don't have you anymore, not like I did before last year."

"Nothing's like last year," Lyla replied.

"Yeah," Jason responded, dully.

"So, what about you—what do you want?" she asked, as she kneeled down beside him, her arm now on his hand.

Jason locked his eyes on hers. "If this baby defied all convention to be conceived, then that's what I want…I want to have a baby."

/-/  
"We have to tell your parents," Lyla said as she looked up at Jason. They had been sitting in his apartment in the dark for hours—sometimes talking, sometimes just sitting there.

"They'll kill me," Jason replied. "And I can't do that to them. Plus, if she…"

"You'll need their help," Lyla said. "And you can't worry about what she might do until she decides."

"I have to worry about it, Lyla—right now it's the only thing I can do," Jason answered.

There was a tap at the door.

"I'll get it," Lyla said as she stood up from the couch.

"Thanks," Jason replied, his voice empty and dull.

Lyla crossed to the hallway and turned on the light. She flipped the lock and opened the door.

"Wow, I can't say that I imagined meeting you here," Erin said as she stood at the door.

Lyla looked back to the door into the living room where Jason waited.

"I'm sorry—I should have told you today. I mean, I didn't know for sure, it was just that…" Lyla stammered

"Not that many quad former quarterbacks in town?" Erin said as she stepped past Lyla and headed toward the living room. Lyla followed her into the room.

"So, was she a plant?" Erin asked Jason. "Another subtle way to try and get what you want?"

Jason looked over at her and shook his head. "No, just a coincidence. Honestly."

"We're friends," Lyla explained as she crossed back into the living room and sat back down on the couch.

Erin looked between the two. "Ohmigod—she's the girlfriend, isn't she?"

"You told her about that?" Lyla said quietly.

Jason nodded.

"Well, this is uncomfortable," Erin said as she took a seat on the other end of the couch.

"Yeah," Jason replied.

"I'm sorry, Erin," Lyla responded. "Jason is my friend. And I want to help you—I want to help both of you."

Erin looked over at Lyla and then to Jason. She smiled. "Yeah, I don't know if that's going to work for me." She stood up.

"Wait, Erin," Jason said as he pushed forward and reached for her hand.

"I'll go," Lyla offered as she stood up. "Erin…please, just stay and listen to him."

Erin sat back down.

Lyla looked over at Jason and mouthed 'Good Luck'. He nodded. 'I'll call you,' she added silently.

As Lyla walked to the door she looked back at Jason and the red-haired girl. She paused at the door, and then set her mouth determinedly and walked out. She was over him. She was really over him.

Then why did it feel like someone had just ripped a hole in her chest and yanked out her heart. Leaning heavily against the door, she clamped her hand over her mouth to suppress the sudden sob. Who was she kidding? She wasn't over Jason Street. She would never be completely over him.

She liked to think that Jason was a part of her past; that she had moved on with her life. She had her church, she was dating Chris, she was happy with her life now.

But she'd never considered that Jason might have a baby with anyone other than her. And someone, the loss of something she might never have even had with him, was profound.

Walking to her car, she wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. She would get over this, just as she had gotten over Jason so many months before. She wanted him to be happy more than anything, and she knew that being a father would make him happy. And maybe for her, that would have to be enough.  


* * *

**Disclaimer** : All characters who appear in these stories belong to their respective creators, including Imagine Entertainment, NBC Universal Television Studio and Film 44.


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